Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

‘Science must influence policy-making'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The absence of close linkage between science and policy-making is a major handicap in governance, which should be addressed at the earliest so that the benefits of research and development informs the government's decision-making process, according to participants of a seminar held as part of the Kerala Science Congress here on Saturday.

Speakers on the theme ‘Science and Public Decision Making' also flagged key areas where the absence of scientific inputs hampered objective assessment of developmental choices. The consensus was that there must be an institutional framework to ensure that scientific inputs play a key role in the decision-making process.

Making the keynote presentation, Additional Chief Secretary S. M. Vijayanand said that there was need to revive the spirit of the 1970s when scientists were picked up for tops jobs in the State purely on merit. The present decision-making process tended to be polemics-linked, personality-oriented or vested interest-driven in the absence of appropriate scientific and technological inputs, he said. This only resulted in negative equilibriums. This should be countered with science and technology framework that supports the government at all levels, he said.

Former Local Self-Government Minister Kutty Ahamed Kutty, MLA, said the scientific community must make special efforts to provide decision-makers with appropriate inputs. The scientific institutions in the State should consider it their responsibility to provide technical support particularly to local self-government institutions, he added.

Rajaji Mathew Thomas, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Environment, said that he had come across of several instances of scientists adopting anti-people attitude when it came to major environment questions. There were even instances of scientists giving clean chit to even dangerous project proposals. Scientists should think of ways to curb use of traditional construction material such as sand given the serious resource crunch that the State experienced, he said.

State Planning Board member C. P. Narayanan said that scientists must enjoy sufficient autonomy with responsibility and should ensure that science benefited the common man who did not have the wherewithal to circumvent laws.

Kerala's focus

K.P. Kannan, professor, Centre for Development Studies (CDS), said there must be a meeting point between the knowledge of scientists and the common sense of public persons and decision makers. Kerala, he felt, should focus on land and water management and also on emerging issues such as solid waste management and the impending transportation crisis.

Additional Chief Secretary Nivedita P. Haran pointed out that Kerala had not been able to do what it was actually capable of doing with its scientific and technical talent pool and capabilities.

One reason for this was the presence of vested interests. Now, scientists and decision makers lived in parallel worlds. This must change, she said. M. Prithviraj, executive secretary, Karnataka State Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, said that science must ultimately benefit the common man.

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